Story of the Boat

The Jesus Boat is on display at the Yigal Alon Center on Kibbutz

The Story of the Boat

This is the exciting and inspirational story of the discovery, excavation and conservation of the Ancient Galilee Boat, known as the celebrated Jesus Boat. Moshe and Yuval Lufan, brothers and fishermen from Kibbutz Ginosar, discovered the Ancient Galilee Boat buried in the mud near the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The discovery of the boat rocked the archeological and spiritual world. Never before was such an ancient vessel found so complete. Once the boat was positively dated to the First Century BCE, pilgrims from around the world flocked to view the boat on which could have been the very same vessel on which Jesus sailed the Sea of Galilee. The vessel is 9 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 1.25 meters high. It may have functioned as a ferry boat, but its measurtments also suit those used by ancient fishermen employing a seine, or dragnet, "cast into the sea" as described in Matthew 13:47-48.

The Ancient Galilee Boat is on display in the Yigal Alon Center (aka the Jesus Boat Museum) on Kibbutz Ginosar on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Museum hosts tens of thousands of pilgrims each year. It boasts a boat ramp for voyages on the Sea of Galilee, a cafe and a museum shop to buy Holy Land Gifts.

The Story of the Discovery, Excavation and Conservation of the 1st Century Galilee Boat